Tuesday, March 11, 2008

The Passing of Dave Stevens"

I never personally knew Dave Stevens, but there wasn't a single piece of his work that I've seen of his that I didn't think was anything but that produced by a craftsman.

His work was so very good...so detailed...so alive that it was instantly recognizable.

Back in the early 1980's I wrote to Dave Stevens telling him how much I enjoyed his work on "The Rocketeer", and I also wrote Pacific Comics urging them to produce a solo Rocketeer comic. Dave was kind enough to send me the above pictured postcard, and on the reverse wrote a nice, personal, hand-written note thanking me. I have had that postcard framed and hanging on my collection room or pc room, ever since, and treasure it.

From what I've read about this man, I know that he was sincere, and that he thought very much about how his fans viewed his work, and would only produce the best that he could possibly do.

Mark Evanier wrote a very nice piece about him on his blog site, and I urge you, whether you know of Dave Stevens work or not, to read this.

He died way too soon. His talent will be missed. Thank you, Dave Stevens, for the pleasure of your existence upon this planet and the joy you created through your artwork.